| Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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Social media can be brutal. No-one listens, no-one changes their opinion, and no-one wants to compromise.
That's a real shame, but is there a way for people with widely differing views to come together to chat about what they have in common, and find out that there is more that unites us than divides is?
There is, and last weekend I was with a group of pals who regularly disagree strongly in a Facebook group called Cockney Pride Politics, but when we get together in a traditional London pub, we have a rare old time.
I know you can't always get together with your online foes, but if and when you do, it's a lot of fun. Cheers! |
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Just one place is left on my annual speaker coaching programme.
If you are a professional speaker who wants to get back in the game in 2022, with more gigs and higher fees, I'd be happy to help
I've been boosting the careers of professional speakers for many years. It could be your turn next. Just drop me a line, or check out my website. |
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| My interview guest this week is Steve Steinman.
He has come a long way since his appearance as Meat Loaf on ITV’s Stars In Their Eyes back in 1993. He has toured the globe in his hit show, The Meat Loaf Story. This has led to him playing in some of the world’s most iconic venues, including Sun City South Africa and the London Palladium.
As well as being a busy singer and actor, Steve is also the driving force behind his own production company Steve Steinman Productions, through which he has worked with some of the world’s best-known rock stars.
He's a real pro, as you can hear in the Media Coach Radio Show |
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| There's also a superb single from Steve which is perfect for our times, and for this time of year! |
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The MediaMaestro this week is influential Jamaican reggae artist Robbie Shakespeare - one half of the duo Sly and Robbie - who died this week.
Throughout a career spanning almost 50 years, Shakespeare collaborated with artists as varied as Madonna, Bob Dylan, No Doubt, Peter Tosh, the Rolling Stones and Grace Jones.
Having already established himself as a talented musician, he teamed up with drummer Sly Dunbar in the mid-1970s. They had various band names, but settled on Sly and Robbie, and became one of the most influential rhythm and production duos in the history of reggae.
Last year, Rolling Stone magazine placed him at number 17 on its list of the 50 greatest bassists of all time, saying: "No other musical entity in the post-Marley era has been so omnipresent in shaping the sound of Jamaica and bringing it to the world." |
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The MediaMug isVishal Garg, chief executive of mortgage firm Better.com.
He has been widely criticised after he fired around 900 of his staff on a single Zoom call.
Here's what he said:
"Hi everyone, thank you for joining. I come to you with not great news. The market has changed, as you know, and we have to move with it in order to survive so that hopefully we can continue to thrive and deliver on our mission.
"This isn't news that you're going to want to hear but ultimately it was my decision and I wanted you to hear it from me. It's been a really, really challenging decision to make. This is the second time in my career that I'm doing this and I do not want to do this. The last time I did it I cried. This time I hope to be stronger. But we are laying off about 15% of the company for a number of reasons: the market, efficiency and performances and productivity.
"If you're on this call you are part of the unlucky group that is being laid off. Your employment here is terminated. Effective immediately."
Phew! That's not exactly going to motivate the remaining staff is it? |
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| Speaking Tip - 7 behaviours that can ruin your speech |
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From time to time (like now), I offer a few reminders of what not to do when you're delivering a speech. Not that you would, I hope. Anyway, here are seven traps to avoid falling into:
A messy technology change. This is when you're swapping laptops with the previous speaker, or switching from slides to video online, and something doesn't work. You say to the audience "just talk among yourselves for a moment" Poor sound. The sound doesn't work, or works intermittently. Over-running your time. You may be late starting, or you have simply misjudged the length of your speech. Assuming too much knowledge. Delivering complex ideas in complex terms. Using too much interaction. Trying to get the audience attentive and listening again can take as long as the exercise you gave them. Too many ideas. The focus of your speech is lost if you try to cram in too much. No clear finish. At the end, you look up at the timer and say "Er, that's it"
So here's how to avoid them:
Rehearse any technology change. Have some material to deliver out loud if there is a problem. Do a sound check. Always finish on time. That's it. Research your audience in detail. Don't use interaction, or just ask people to think. Keep to one simple theme. Plan a big finish with a powerful takeaway.
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| Media Tip - Have I got news for you? |
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What exactly is news? That's a question I often hear people ask when their media release fails to generate any coverage at all. The thing is, you need to think like a journalist. What you see as news may be very different from what news really is. For example, the fact that your company has a new chief financial officer may be very important to you and other staff, but the editors of papers and news shows couldn't care less.
Here's my take on characteristics of news:
Something which just happened A story, not just facts Human interest Local interest A link to another big news story Exclusivity Scandal in high places (or even low ones) Controversy Powerful characters involved A message that's easy to grasp
That doesn't mean that every media release has to contain all those elements. Alas, I see many that contain none of them. Make sure whatever you put in a release, it's news.
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| Social Media Tip - Which one is you? |
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For good or bad, people form an impression of us on social media from the picture we display. It lives with every post we make, and if we are only connected online to someone, it's probably how they always think of us. I've been looking at some of the images used by my online contacts, and I offer these observations.
1) The "not just me" shot There may be two, three, or an entire crowd of people shown. I don't know who I'm talking to. Who are those other people? There seem to be two basic types of this shot. The first is with a loved one. That's nice if you're running a dating site. If it's a business, is that your business partner? The second type is with a celebrity. Alas, not everyone will recognise the "celeb", so they're left wondering which one is you.
2) The "cropped from a party" shot This simply says to me "I can't be bothered to get a professional photo done". If that's the case, I wonder how you might handle my business? Would you rather be out partying?
3) The "over the hills and faraway" shot I'm sure you're in the picture somewhere, but I can't tell if that's you or a lamp-post.
4) The "it's not me" shot It's nice to pay a tribute to someone you admire by using their image, but it makes me a bit suspicious about why you don't want to be seen. If you're on social media and want to look businesslike, get a proper photo taken. Let us see a bit about you. People do business with people. We want to know which one is you.
I'm the one on the left.
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| The information in this ezine may be freely re-used in any online or offline publication, provided it is accompanied by the following credit line - "This information was written by Alan Stevens, and originally appeared in "The MediaCoach", his free weekly ezine, available at www.mediacoach.co.uk." |
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